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NARRATIVE TALE IN JAIN LITERATURE
Besides these,"? there are many stories in old Rājasthāni. Only a few of them may be mentionedla; e.g.; Anandasandhi of Vinayacandra, Mrgāputrasandhi and Dhanasandhi of Kalyāṇatilaka, Subahusandhi of Punyasāgara, Bhavanasandhi of Jayasoma, Anāthisandhi of Vimalavinaya, Kayavannasandhi of Guņavinaya, Jayantisandhi of Abhayasoma, etc.
Here I give one story from the old Rājasthāni text named Känhada Kathiyārā Ri Cupai of Mānasāgara,19 a middle Rājasthāni text of the oldest period – 1690 A.D. The story of the text runs thus.
2. THE STORY OF KĀŅHA
The story of Kānhada, a wood-cutter, in "Kanhada Caupai' relates, by way of an illustration, the story of a layman, who became a Jaina monk in his later life, coming in contact with the Jaina Sādhus.
The text begins with the salutation of the twenty-third Tīrtharkara, Pārsvanātha, who is the dispeller of sorrows and sufferings. The author then describes in a nutshell the results of a good and chaste life20 which is, according to the Jaina doctrines, one of the most important factors of spiritual life: and in order to exemplify his stateme he has taken the story of a wood-cutter, Kānhada by name21.
In days of yore, there was a country, named Jambū, in the south of which lay the land of Bhārata (India). In the eastern part of India, was Ayodhyā, famous for its pomp and glory.22 There lived in that country a king, Kīrtidhara by name, who was well-known for his character and
17. For other Kathānaka literature, vide A. N. Upadhye's Brthat
kathakosa, and Jinaratnakosa of H. D. Velankar, Poona,
1943. 18. For others vide Rajasthani Journal, Vol. 1 Calcutta. 19. Ed by Satya Ranjan Banerjee, Sanskrit Book Depot (P) Ltd.,
Calcutta, Second impression, 1980. 20. Verses 3-7. 21. Verses 5-7. 22. Verse : (Description of the country in verses 8-15).
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